Three Bs

"The Three Bs" generally refers to the supposed primacy of Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Johannes Brahms in classical music. It was derived from an expression coined by Peter Cornelius in 1854, which added Hector Berlioz as the third B to occupy the heights already occupied by Bach and Beethoven. Later in the century, conductor Hans von Bülow substituted Brahms for Berlioz.